You may have seen this interesting story from Ideal Bathrooms recently.

It throws up some interesting points about the thought process consumers go through before choosing a new bathroom. While cost is unsurprisingly by far the biggest factor, almost a third of people said the probable disruption would also put them off.

Ok, so customers don't like high cost, lots of dust, and no toilet for several days - that won't raise any eyebrows . Equally, just over a quarter worry about finding a decent plumber and that's hardly a surprising headline either.

No, the real shock for me was how many consumers are put of buying a bathroom simply because they don't think it'll work once it's been installed. Is this really the reputation this sector has among the general populace? One in every three consumers thinks there's no point buying a bathroom because it probably won't work anyway.

Not that they might not like the design, or the customer service, or the products - no, they just think it'll probably be knackered.

In a time when we all need to be defining our business' USPs as closely as possible it turns out that just reassuring the customer that their loo will flush and water will come out the taps gets you a third of the way to a sale.

Are we all guilty of being too close to the industry to really understand what the customer wants do you think? Do we imbue them with too much assumed knowledge?

These days it's pretty common for consumers to have done their research into the kind of thing they want in their new kitchen or bathroom - what kind of products, what kind of look, style and feel. But do we assume they have done any kind of research into the technicalities of a new bathroom or kitchen?

Just because they know they want a contemporary sanctuary with organic shapes, wenge furniture and a walk-in just like they saw in that boutique hotel in Bristol when Claire and Simon got married - it's almost certain that they don't know their water pressure, strength of the floor, waste outlets and all those other factors that make installation so specialised.

Ten years or more of makeover TV made the consumer more savvy and educated in design than ever before, but this survey demonstrates that there's still a long way to go in transforming that education into genuine confidence in the whole purchasing and installation process.

Are independents to blame for this low opinion? No, probably not. It's the countless horror stories from multiples that do all the damage but should this make you think differently about how you market yourself?

The only conclusion any independent should take from this is that every piece of marketing you do should include reassurances on disruption, installation, expertise, and finished product. Simplification and explanation are the key.

When Tony Blair and New Labour began their general election campaign in 1996/1997 they came up with a brilliantly simple yet hugely effective conceit - the five pledges. Five bullet points printed on a wallet-sized card. It boiled down a whole political manifesto into five sentences that spoke precisely to the heart of the matters that the electorate wanted changing.

Is there a 'pledge card' you can do for your business? Something to hand out to potential and actual customers that tackles these concerns and issues straight off?

How about this?

1. We pledge that we will project manage your bathroom/kitchen/bedroom to completion
2. We pledge to offer a fair price with no hidden charges
3. We pledge to cause minimum disruption to your home, keep you fully informed of all progress and clean up completely after ourselves
4. We pledge that we will not ask for final payment until you are 100% happy
5. We pledge that we are proud professionals who want to do a good job so you'll tell your friends about us

What five things do you think should be on the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom retailer pledge card? Email me and let me know.